"beauty bark" and "bark dust"

[Charles Doyle]

Living in Georgia for the past 30+ years (where, incidentally, pine bark is plentiful), I have never heard the term "beauty bark," but it seems pretty transparent to me--'bark chips used as ornamental ground covering'.

"Bark dust" isn't transparent at all--especially if it's somewhat synonymous with "beauty bark." In fact, I've never heard of any kind of DUST being used for ornamental ground cover; seems like it would interfere with the aeration of the soil.

--Charlie
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From:         Benjamin Barrett <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:      Re: Put lipstick on a pig (again) and cherry up

Being a Washingtonian, I'm surprised to hear that. I've known the word "beauty bark" since I was a young child, probably 35 years ago. I've always assumed it to be a product name, but it seems pretty generic from Googits.

Your description of bark dust is identical to what I think of as beauty bark. BB

FRITZ JUENGLING wrote:
>
> That stuff in the picture looks like 'bark chips' to me.  I had thought that maybe I would see 'barkdust', but that stuff surely wasn't barkdust.  I guess the real questions are where is 'beauty bark' used? Is it a regionalism?  How long has it been around?  Is this some industry word (that will some day push out bark dust)?  Most interested to read what others have to say. I should add an explanation, based on my experience of moving from Oregon to Minnesota. We never met any native Minnesotan who knew the term bark dust.  Bark dust is somewhat finely ground bark (usually a reddish-brown color), that nearly everyone in the Pacific Northwest spreads on his flower beds for looks and to keep the weeds in check. My wife and I have know that term all our lives and surprised when MNs didn't know it.  Now I'm surprised at beauty bark.

> Fritz

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